Livingston- Welcome to paradise!

Upon arriving to the dock in Livingston, you feel as if you have left Guatemala and been transported to a tropical island somewhere in the Caribbean. I was immediately mesmerized by this town, with such warm and smiling people and their tranquil rhythm of life.

Livingston is located on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and is only accessible by boat. This town of 6,000 is home to the Garífuna, or black Carib people, who are strung out along the Caribbean coast from Southern Belize to Northern Nicaragua.

The Garifuna culture is deeply rooted in music, dance and story-telling and has its own form of religion consisting of a mix of Catholicism, African and Indian beliefs. Because of their difference and independence, the Garífuna have been feared and discriminated against by Guatemalans, accused of devil-worship, polygamy, voodoo and speaking a secret language.

Despite having their defined geographic area, language, and culture, in contrast to the other 23 Guatemalan ethnicities, it was not until the mid 80s that they were officially recognized as a group and after the signing of the peace accords in 1996 they finally began to gain legal space.

In 1996, Garífuna Settlement Day was especially important. The government of Guatemala officially recognized the importance of the Garífuna community and President Arzú paid an official visit to the town of Livingston.

A very brief history of the Garifuna:

The Garifuna trace their history back to the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. In the late 15th century, the Kalipuna tribe from South America invaded the island and conquered the inhabitants, the Arawak Indians. Eventually, the inhabitants became the union of these two tribes. The word "Garifuna", which means "cassava eating people", is probably descended from "Kalipuna". The Spanish called these people "Caribes" (Caribs) which means cannibals and also the word from which "Caribbean" is descended.

In 1635, Nigerian slaves shipwrecked on the island of St. Vincent and found refuge there. The intermarriage and mixing of these peoples created the Garífuna culture; they were also known as black Caribs.

At that time, St. Vincent was a British colony. Over the years tensions escalated with demanding English colonists and this eventually led to war. With the victory of the British, they began to exile the Garífuna in 1797, first to the island of Baliceaux and then the remaining survivors to Roatán Island off the coast of Honduras. Eventually, the Garífuna migrated, some as soldiers for the Spanish, to mainland Honduras and thereafter to the Caribbean coast of Belize, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

For more info, here’s a great article from National Geographic: http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/09/01/html/ft_20010901.6.html

While we only spent one day there, my fascination with the town and culture will certainly lead me back there very soon and I can share with you more about the culture, especially the cuisine and music.